Episode 58. Rev. Dr. Terrlyn Curry Avery, a pastologist (ordained minister and licensed psychologist), TEDx speaker, and author, joins me to talk about her second book Dismantling Racism: Healing Separation from the Inside Out. Packed with stories of anti-racism and ways to increase one’s sacred intelligence, Dismantling Racism proved a rich and engaging topic for our conversation. Terrlyn shares her ideas on the intersection of sacred motive, self-ish mindset and shared movement. We can each...

Episode 57. As an American Reform Rabbi who made Aliyah (moved to Israel) about a year ago with her family, she has found herself in an all-too-real Israel. Her lifelong liberal leaning into the Ruach (spirit) and not the war of the prayer she grew up with, has been shattered. Discovering that both spirit and war is necessary has been humbling. That said, joining the ranks of volunteers, in her case doing agricultural work near the Gaza border, has reconnected her with the original vision of...

Episode 56. Ever since Esther picked up the Torah in high school, she has been curious about the missing bits of scripture which bridge decades of many men’s lives and most women altogether. Her love for stories led her to imagine possible stories to fill those gaps in Torah. With scripture as inspiration, Esther’s historical fiction writing is a process of wonder and discovery. Figures and narrative turns appear seemingly unbidden in her mind. Her newest novel, The Scrolls of Deborah, is the...

Episode 55. The Friends of Sia'h Shalom seeks to strengthen ties between Jerusalem-based Sia’h Shalom and the North American Jewish community. Sia’h Shalom Circles in North American cities bring together diverse and highly divided groups of Jews, both lay leaders and rabbis, creating spaces for listening and spiritual growth in the increasingly polarized North. American Jewish landscape. As co-director of the Friends of Sia'h Shalom Rabbi Tara Feldman speaks from the heart and head about the...

Episode 54. Since his childhood in Los Angeles, Daniel has lived in various parts of the U.S. as well as in Israel, Italy, and Germany. In each place, Daniel has enriched his Jewish practice by familiarizing himself with the local language and traditions, including trope (the melodies used to chant the Torah and other parts of the Bible in synagogue services). Another expression of his curiosity about histories and cultures is through writing liturgical texts and prayers. Daniel also taps...

Episode 53.   Abdur-Rahman lives in three countries, carrying the richness of his interreligious extended family and early experience of adjusting to various cultural environments. Fortified by these formative years and his years in marketing, Abdur-Rahman is creating a book called Prophetic Persuasion. Using words of four prophets from the Abrahamic faiths, he stresses the value of common messages through which people can influence others and establish a moral compass. In conversation, we...

Episode 52. Rabbi Molly Karp was raised with both the message she could do anything, and the Orthodox Jewish day school's many restrictions for girls. Added to this was time in nature, on Israeli kibbutzim, and in Judaic Studies courses. Her passion and skills with Jewish education were apparent early on and she has dedicated most of her professional life to that work. She has also acquired rabbinic ordination and been a congregational rabbi. Doing things in her own way and not according to a...

Episode 51. My friend and fellow podcaster, Beatriz Nour, takes the helm for this special episode. Beatriz normally hosts her Inbetweinish podcast, a wonderful show all about people, like herself, who inhabit multiple cultures. For this episode, we have switched roles, and talk about my personal faith path, choosing Judaism and deepening my practice. It was fascinating to be a guest on my own show and be asked questions I had never considered. Highlights: 00:06:12 Didn't connect with...

Episode 50. Woman of Valor is Lynne Golodner’s first published novel after six non-fiction books and two poetry collections. This engaging story lets us into the rewarding and complex life of Sally, who took on the Orthodox Judaism of her grandparents. Happily married to Barry and a mother to three young children, she leads a full and contented life, but trouble arrives unexpectedly. In this episode, Lynne talks about Woman of Valor, how the story draws on her own life experiences, authors...

Episode 49. Mona grew up in Texas in the 1980s, the only veiled Muslim girl throughout her school years.  Her faith and immigrant family was seen as strange and unknown, yet she was dedicated to her faith, even starting to veil by seven years old, which is earlier than required.  Despite or perhaps because of this extreme minority experience, Mona has dedicated her life to education, most passionate about teaching youth about Islam, and helping them to develop good characters grounded in...

Episode 48. As a columnist (The New York Times, the Daily Beast and elsewhere), speaker, published author, recovering attorney and practicing Muslim, Wajahat Ali brings a sharp eye and thoughtful commentary to the issue of religion in our modern world, especially the USA. The current political dissension and aggressive efforts by the right wing and Christian nationalists to impose their values regarding education and health care on all Americans, as well as the ceding of religion by liberals,...

Episode 47. David has traveled far, religiously speaking, from his upbringing in a largely secular Jewish home. Other than attending services at a Reform synagogue on Boston’s North Shore, there was minimal observance. Since then, he has gone through many phases, including flirting with atheism and participating in his college Hillel services, all the while maintaining the Jewish identity inherited from his parents. Over the past few years, he has found a mélange of communities. Participating...

Episode 46. Having traversed the spectrum of Christian denominations – from the middle (United Methodist) to the conservative (Pentecostal) then all the way to the liberal (Unitarian Universalist) – Carlton has derived a rich and appreciative perspective on living according to Jesus’ teachings.  As he notes in the Introduction of Try My Jesus: “Anyone who invites you to try Jesus is inviting you to try their Jesus.”  Structured as a year’s worth of daily reflections, Carlton quotes from the...

Episode 45. In this second conversation with Mookie, we expanded the discussion of diversity and the ways he embodies his Catholic faith. The two main areas are his tattoos that manage to marry his Filipino and Catholic identities, and his pilgrimage in August 2022 on the Camino de Santiago. Highlights: 00:04:39 Diversity and race in the US. 00:13:34 The guest’s tattoo and its symbolism, including references to his Christian faith and Filipino heritage. The tattoo represents creation,...

Episode 44. As a psychotherapist, professor and researcher, Mookie believes in attending to the whole person. For him, this care includes his Catholic practice. For his clients, faith or root beliefs might also be included. Mookie has arrived at his philosophy of therapy and groundedness in Catholicism through a circuitous route. Born in the Philippines, raised in California, followed by graduate studies and work over a multi-stage eastward journey across the US, he has landed at Boston...

Episode 43. Zachary Davis, a lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (or Mormons), has been deeply involved in producing podcasts and other media about religion. In this Bonus episode, we discuss the role of religion in the public sphere. He talks about the importance of bringing your whole self into the community, and makes the distinction between scholarly work and devotional practice. Part of his own public expression of his faith is through the various podcasts...

Episode 42 Peter describes his journey through a small religious cult. Getting drawn in was not his intention, and he believes that no one knows they’re in a cult, just that they were in a cult. For Peter, the group was an unavoidable aspect of marrying the love of his life. Neither the cult nor his experience in the cult is what you would expect. The particularities of his story open the mysterious world of a cult – the common characteristics of the leader, and the journey though the...

Episode 41 An award-winning reporter at WBZ/CBS Boston, the first Muslim Miss Massachusetts (2022), volunteer for the Special Olympics, convert (or revert) to Islam from Catholicism and a Black American – Katrina holds a complex identity. She channels her complexity and desire to be authentic into her passion for community, diversity, and equality.  Impressively, she does so with grace, humor, and commitment.  Highlights: ·       Her religious journey – Catholic childhood, atheism, then...

As a coach, consultant, and public speaker, Sobiya helps people in different ways.  The coaching is one:one support mostly around confidence and mindset to help the client reach her potential.  As a consultant, she works with companies wanting to improve their diversity, equity and inclusion, and as a public speaker, Sobiya draws on both her personal experience as a Muslim woman-of-color in the UK, as well as her professional expertise.  She believes that, as a public figure, her authenticity...

Sarah draws on her innate passion for helping others in her work as a coach, trainer, and speaker.  Whether helping individuals or organizations, her drive to unlock potential and encourage people to achieve their dreams comes through. The Christian principle that each person has unique skills and talents has led her during years of coaching on leadership. This is particularly relevant for the many clients who lack confidence that they can lead. Indeed, one of her favorite quotes is...

Like many people of her generation, Janet was raised with little religious instruction, due to her parents’ desire to be American. After some exploration into other faiths, she decided in her 20s to learn about the Judaism of her roots. It has been a long journey. She considers herself a JewBu – incorporating elements of both Judaism and Buddhism, generally the ritual and holidays of the former and philosophy of the latter, along with some meditation practice when faced with a challenging...

Prianka Alam has retained the dedication to helping her family and Muslim community in Maryland that she learned as a young immigrant child. The financial uncertainty growing up has prompted a craving for stability and security as an adult, in short a boring life. These desires drove Prianka to focus on her education, career path and a husband who would be Muslim and a good partner for future children. She has found all of that and more, though it brings the expected stress and demand to wear...

Jill Sarkozi, founder of the Safekeeping Stories program, talks about the mission and system of the work. Inspired by helping her father-in-law, a Holocaust survivor, write his story, Jill went on to develop the Storykeeping® method. Since founding the program in 2012, Jill and her team have helped many families capture their own family stories. The workshop provides a safe environment for these family members to explore the family’s Holocaust story, understand how it has been part of their...

Julie Kinscheck, singer-songwriter, teacher, and group leader extraordinaire, is a woman of many musical talents. Whether singing sacred or secular music – hymns, Christmas carols, jazz, or folk music – she brings passion and a desire to share her God-given abilities with the audience. After years of performing and teaching, the Covid lock-down created time to produce a book, Vocal Training for Praise Singers. Intended mainly for Christian praise singers, it is a robust teaching tool replete...

As a traditional Jew attending an Orthodox synagogue, Elissa believes that the Torah provides a blueprint for living. God is an ever-present force in her life and she has an ongoing relationship with God. After the death of her first child, Elissa studied the Jewish beliefs of death and the afterlife.  In addition to the studies, becoming involved in tahara, the Jewish practice of preparing a Jew for burial, has been meaningful. Elissa described several metaphors including the messy back of a...